Exhibiting mechanism.



No. 735,176. I PATBNTBD AUG. 4, 1903. s131111'.

EXHIBITING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1902.

No MODEL. s SHEETS-SHEET 1,

At tes t: 'e' l lwvelq:

y /Zf/M a Y 1 Aff PATENTED AUG. 4, 1903.

`S. TREPP.

EXHIBITING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- vNO MODEL.

inw/fak HAMM/Ff( y /fff y,

PATENTED AUG. 4, 1963.

S. TREPP.

EXHIBITING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7. 1902.

3 SHEBTS-SHEBT 3.

N0 MODEL.

no. 7e 5,176.

UNITED STATES APatented August 4, 1903.

SAMUEL TREPP, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

EXHIBITING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,176, dated August 4, 1903.

Application filed August 7,1902.

To all whom it ntay concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL TREPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Exhibiting.r Mechanisms, of which the ,following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to Whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a face or plan view with a portion of the casing broken away. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the rockshaft and the partscarried thereby and intimately cooperating therewith. Fig. 4 is an elevation on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the operating mechanism. looking from the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, through the sleeves carried by the driving-shaft; and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional elevation through the rock-shaft, its collar, and the hub of the bellcrank lever.

My invention relates to exhibiting mechanisms and is designed particularly as a mechanismr for exhibiting advertisements borne upon a sheet or web.

One object of my invention is to provide a mechanism which occupies but small space, so that it can be conveniently used in the upper panels of passenger-coaches, in depots, store-windows, &c.

A further object is to provide a simple, durable, and ecient mechanism in which the roll or web bearing the advertisements is wound at each end upon a roller, the web being moved intermittently and having its movement reversed at proper times.

Afurtherobjectis to provide efficient means for preventing the web from becoming loose upon the rollers; and a further object is to provide an efficient, convenient, and positively-acting reversing mechanism.

To these ends and also to improve generally upon mechanism of the character indicated my invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the base or back plate, and 59 the front plate, of the casing, said Serial No. 118,820.V (No model.)

front plate having a slot 57, through which the matter upon the hereinafter-mentioned sheet or web can be seen. Suitably journaled in the casing are rolls 46 and 47, to which the respective ends of the web or sheet 58, provided with the advertising matter, are secured in any suitablemanner, the said sheet or web passing over suitable idler-rolls 55 and 56, whereby it is stretched across the beforementioned opening 57. Manifestly as one roll 46 or 47 is turned in the proper direction the sheet is wound upon such roll, and if the other roll is free to turn the said sheet unwinds from said latter roll, the various advertisements or other matter upon the web .being carried across the opening 57. The before-mentioned winding-rolls 46 and 47 are fixed to shafts 48 and 49.

A suitably-supported driving-shaft 18 eX- tends at right angles to the before-mentioned Winding-roll shafts and is intermittently rotated in one direction in any suitable manner, the particular mechanism herein illustrated for rotating the said shaft comprising the pinion upon the shaft, the gears 37, 38, 7, and 5, and the pulley 6. The mechanism just referred to for rotating the driving-shaft is old and well known, and as the same forms no part of my invention it is believed that further description of the same is unneces sary. Loosely mounted upon the. drivingshaft 18 are sleeves 19 and 20, which are held against longitudinal movement upon the shaft in any suitable manner, asby the collars 19a, said sleeves having their inner ends spaced from each other and provided with teeth or other clutching means, as shown at 19 and 20. Each of the sleeves 19 and 2O is provided with a beveled gear 34 and 33, respectively,and these gears mesh,respectively, with cooperating beveled gears 34 and 33 upon the winding-roller shafts 49 and 48. Slidably mounted upon the shaft 18, intermediate the said sleeves, but lixed to said shaft to rotate therewith, as by means of a feather, is a clutch-sleeve 17, which has upon its ends teeth or other clutching parts adapted to cooperate with the teeth 19 and 20, formed upon the inner ends of the said sleeves 19 and 20. As the said gears 33 and 34 engage opposite sides of the respective gears 33 and 34, it will be apparent that each winding roll or ICO drum is adapted to be positively driven ina reverse direction to that in which the other winding roll or drum is rotated. If the driving-shaft 18 be rotated in a given direction and the clutch-sleeve 17 be thrown into engagement with the sleeve 19, the drum 46 will be positively rotated, while the drum 47 will be free to rotate, the sleeve 2O being free to rotate about the shaft 18. If, however, without changing the direction of rotation of the shaft 18 the clutch sleeve be thrown into engagement with the drivingsleeve 2O and out of engagement with the driving-sleeve 19, the drum 47 will be positively driven in a direction reverse to that in which the drum 46 has been rotated and the drum 46 will be free to revolve. It will therefore be apparent that, assuming that the web or sheet is wound upon the drum 47, if the clutch-sleeve 17 be thrown into engagement with the driving-sleeve 19 the web will be wound upon the drum 46 and unwound from the drum 47. If then the clutch-sleeve 17 be thrown into engagement with the drivingsleeve 20, the web will be again wound upon the drum 47 and unwound from the drum 46.

In the present machine I have provided means for automatically shifting the clutchsleeve 17 at proper intervals, and this mechanism is now to be considered. Upon a rockshaft 16, which extendsin aline at right angles to the driving-shaft 18 and lies beneath and intermediate the driving-sleeves 19 and 20, is rigidly supported an arm 14', whose upper end is forked and provided with fingers 17', which enter a circumferential groove 15 about the clutch-sleeve,rockingofthe shaft thus serving to throw the clutch-sleeve in a manner which will be well understood. A second rock-arm 13' is fixed upon the said rock-shaft and has its curved free end received in a curved socket in a pivotally-supported socket-block 10'. This socket-block is supported upon arms 11', whose ends are pivotally supported in any suitable manner, and the socket-block is connected to a spring 9' in such manner that after the block has been thrown slightly beyond the center in either direction the spring will serve to complete the movement of the block in the direction in which it has been traveling and to lock the block in its new position. Upon the said rock-shaft is a collar 15', which has an end recess extending about a portion of its periphery, and loose upon the said rockshaft is a bell-crank lever having the substantially horizontal arm 13 and the substantially vertical arm 14, said lever being provided with a projection 15, which enters the said recess in the collar l5' and is ot'Y less width than the said recess, so that 'the said bell-crank lever has a small amount of play about the rock-shaft. The free end of the arm 13 is rounded and is received in a rounded socket in a socket-block 10, which is carried by pivoted arms 11 and controlled by a spring 9, the construction and operation of the socket-block and its connected parts being similar to the construction and operation of the socket-block 10' and its connected parts.

A threaded counter-shaft 27 extends substantially at right angles to the rock-shaft 16 and above the same, and said shaft is provided with a pinion 28, which meshes with a pinion 29 upon the driving-sleeve 20. Therefore whenever the driving-shaft 18 is rotated the counter-shaft is correspondingly rotated, for if the driving-sleeve 2O be engaged by the clutch-sleeve 17 the said driving-sleeve and its pinion 29 will be driven directly from the said clutch-sleeve, while if the clutch-sleeve be thrown into engagement with the drivingsleeve 19 the said driving-sleeve will transmit motion to the winding-drum 46 and the drum 47-will be rotated in a reverse direction, such reverse rotation being transmitted t-o the pinion 29 through the gears 33 and 33'. Upon the said counter-shaft 27 is a nut or traveler which has an extension 26, which projects upwardly through a slot 30 in a supporting-plate 31, andrising from said supporting-plate are standards 31', in which the ends of a shifting rod 23 are received and guided, said rod being longitudinally movable in the said standards. At a suitable point in its length the said rod is enlarged, as shown at 22, and is provided with an eye or opening 2l, in which the free end of the before-mentioned lever-arm 14 is received, while adjustably mounted upon the said shifting rod are fingers or other engaging members 25 25', which lie upon opposite sides of the said traveling projection 26.

We will assume that the clutch-sleeve 17 is in engagement with the driving-sleeve 19, in which event the rock-shaft 16 will be in the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, whereby the arms 14 and 14 will be at the limits of their respective movements toward the right, while the threaded counter-shaft will, whenever the driven shaft is rotated, be rotated in the direction which will cause the follower upon said shaft to be moved toward the left. The projections 25 25' being properly adjusted, as the web 58 is about to become fully unwound from the drum 47 the said projection 26 engages the finger 25', and during further rotation of the counter-shaft, and consequent further movement of the projection 26, the shifting rod is moved toward the left, whereby the arm 14 of the bell-crank lever is also moved toward the left, said arm being thus positively moved until the projection 15 has engaged or is about to engage the collar 15', and at the instant that this engagement takes place, or slightly before such engagement, the arm 13 of the bell-crank lever reaches such a point in its movement that the socket-plate 10 is thrown slightly beyond the center, whereupon the spring 9 acts to quickly complete the movement of the bellcrank lever in the direction in which it has been traveling, and thus quickly throws the rock-shaft, the arm 14' being thus quickly IIC rocked and the clutch-sleeve 17 quickly thrown from engagement with the drivingsleeve 19 into engagement with the drivingsleeve 20. The drum 47 will now be positively driven,and the web 58 will thus be wound upon the said drum and unwound from the drum 46. The driving-sleeve 2O will, for the reasons hereinbefore mentioned, be driven in a direction reverse to that in which it was moved during the time that the clutch-sleeve was in engagement with the driving-sleeve 19, and the counter-shaft will therefore be rotated in the direction reverse to that in which it was rotated during the engagement between the clutch-sleeve and the driving-sleeve 19, whereby the projection 26 will be moved toward the right and will at the proper time engage the projection 25,

and thus reversely rock the rock-shaft 16 in a manner which will now be apparent.

It will be evident that were the lever-arm 14 rigidly connected to the rock-shaft 16 the clutch-sleeve I7 would be gradually withdrawn from one driving-sleeve, would reach an intermediate position out ofl engagement with either driving-sleeve, (or in engagement with both sleeves, depending upon the length of the clutchsleeve,) and would then graduallj7 engage with the other driving-sleeve, thus making impossible the quick shifting of the said clutch-sleeve. In order to avoid this difficulty, I have given the bell-crank lever, includingthe arms 13 and 14, a certain amount of play upon the rock-shaft, as has been previously described. With such construction, however, it is apparent that there are times at which the rock-shaft is not locked in position by the bell-crank lever-for example, when the said lever has been moved from its extreme position in one direction and before :it has completed its free movement upon the rock-shaft-and at such times the rock-shaft would be free to vibrate independently of the said bell-crank lever, thus making it possible for the clutch-sleeve to be thrown from its engagement with the driving-sleeve during the rotation of the driving-shaft. In order to avoid this difficulty, I have provided the rock-arm 13 and the spring-actuated locking mechanism therefor. This arm 13 is rigidly secured to the rock-shaft, so that when the bell-crank lever moves idly upon the rockshaft the spring 9' maintains the rock-shaft in its proper position. As soon, however, as the bell-crank lever is thrown by the spring 9 the spring 9 yields (being lighter than the spring 9) and permits the rock-arm I3 and the rock-shaft l6 to be thrown into a new position, said spring 9 locking the rock-shaft in such new position until it is thrown therefrom by the spring 9.

Preferably the winding-drums 46 and 47 are provided with brakes for the purpose of preventing any movement of said drums except invunison with each other, whereby the web 58 is kept sufficiently taut. In the construction illustrated I have provided a crossbar 43, which is mounted upon the shafts 48 and 49, said shafts passing freely through openings in the said bar, and friction-disks 45 and 45 at the ends of the said windingdrums have guide-fingers 44, which extend through guide-openings in the said cross-bar 43. Springs 50, coiled about the respective shafts. 4S and 49, are confined between the said cross-bar and the respective frictiondisks 45 and 45 and serve to force said disks against the ends 53 53 of the winding-drums or against the friction-washers 51 52, interposed between said drum ends and said disks. I preferably provide for adjustment of the cross-bar or abutment-bar 43 in order that the tension of the springs 50 may be varied, and for this purpose I have shown an adjusting-screw 42, bearing against the outer side of the said abutment-bar and seated in a suitable support, as the standard 4', in which the shafts 48 and 49 are journaled.

I am aware that many minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

.Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums having shafts, a crossbar supported upon said shafts, friction members engaging the heads of said drums, and springs between said cross-bar and said friction members; substantially as described.

2. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums having shafts, a crossbar supported upon said shafts, friction members engaging the heads of said drums and provided with fingers entering openings in said cross-bar,whereby said friction members are held against rotation, and springs between said cross-bar and friction members and coiled about said shafts; substantially as described.

3. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums having shafts, a crossbar supported upon said shafts, friction members engaging the heads of said drums, springs between said friction members and said crossbar, and means for adjusting the position of said cross-har; substantially as described.

4. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums having shafts, a support in which said shafts are journaled, a cross-bar supported upon said shafts, friction members engaging the heads of said drums, springs between said friction members and said cross-bar, and an adj usting-screw seated in said shaft-support and engaging said crossbar; substantially as described.

5. In a mechanism of the charac-ter indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, driving-sleeves loose upon said shaft and having driving connection with the respective said drums, a clutch rotatable with said drivingshaft and slidable thereon to engage either IOO IIO

IIS

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of said driving-sleeves, a counter-shaft, driving connection between one of said drivingsleeves and said counter-shaft, and means controlled by said counter-shaft for shifting said clutch; substantially as described.

6. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, driving-sleeves loose upon said shaft and having driving connection with the respective said drums, a clutch rotatableiwith said drivingshaft and slidable thereon to engage either of said driving-sleeves, a threaded countershaft, driving connection between one of said drivin g-sleeves and said conntershaft,a traveler upon said counter-shaft, and means controlled by said traveler for shifting said clutch; substantially as described.

7. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, driving-sleeves loose upon said shaft, connection between said sleeves and the respective said drums, a clutch member rotatable with said shaft and slidable thereon to engage said respective driving-sleeves, a threaded countershaft, driving connection between said counter-shaft and one of said sleeves, a traveler upon said counter-shaft, a shifter engaging said clutch, and operative shifting connection between said traveler and said shifter; substantially as described.

8. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a winding-drum, a driving-shaft, a shiftable driving member, means whereby in its various shifted positions said driving member drives said drum, means for quickly shifting said driving member, and means for locking said driving member in position and against movement toward another shifted position until the operation of said shifting means; substantially as described.

9. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a winding-drum, a driving-shaft, a

vshiftable driving member, means whereby in its various shifted positions said driving member drives said drum, a rock-shaft, a shifter upon said shaft and connected to said driving member, an arm having limited play upon said shaft, aspring connected to said arm to cause the same to act quickly after the spring has passed the line of centers, and means for moving said arm; substantially as described.

10. ln a mechanism of the character indicated, a winding-drum, a driving-shaft, a shiftable driving member, means whereby in its various shifted positions said driving member drives said drum, a rock-shaft, a shifter upon said shaft and connected to said driving member, an arm having limited play upon said shaft, a spring connected to said arm to cause the same to act quickly after the arm has passed the line of centers, means for moving said arm, and means for locking said rock-shaft until said arm is brought under the shifting action of said spring; substantially as described.

11. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a winding-drum, a driving-shaft, a

shiftable driving member, means whereby in its various shifted positions said driving member drives said drum, a rock-shaft, a shifter upon said shaft and connected to said driving member, an arm having limited play upon said shaft, a spring connected to said arm to' cause the same to act quickly after the spring has passed the line of centers, means for moving said arm, a second arm upon said rockshaft, and a spring connected to said arm to cause the same to be locked in position upon either side of the line of centers of said spring, said second-mentioned spring being weaker than said rst-mentioned spring; substantially as described.

12. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a winding-drum, a driving-shaft, a shiftable driving member, means whereby in its various shifted positions said driving member drives said drum, a rock-shaft, a shifter upon said shaft and connected to said driving member, an arm having limited play upon said shaft, a spring connected to said arm to cause the same to act quickly after the spring has passed the line of centers, a threaded shaft, means for driving the same in a manner controlled by the rotation of said drum, a traveler upon said threaded shaft, and driving connection between said traveler and said arm; substantially as described.

13. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a winding-drum, a driving-shaft, a shiftable driving member, means whereby in its various shifted positions said driving member drives said drum, a shifter connected to said driving'member, an actuating member for said shifter, a traveler having movement independent of said actuating member, means for driving the same in a manner controlled by the rotation of said drum, projections connected to said actuating member and lying upon opposite sides of said traveler, and means for moving said shifter when said actuating member is brought into a given position substantially as described.

14. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, drivin g-sleeves loose thereon and connected to the respective said drums, a clutch member rotatable with said drivingshaft and slidable thereon to engage either of said sleeves,a rockshaft, a shifter thereon and connected to said clutch member, an arm upon said rock-shaft, a threaded counter-shaft, driving connection between said counter-shaft and one of said sleeves, a traveler' upon said counter-shaft, and connection between said travelerand said arm; substantially as described.

15. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, driving-sleeves loose thereon and connected to the respective said drums, a clutch member rotatable with said driving shaft and slidable thereon to engage either of said sleeves, a rockshaft, a shifter thereon and connected to said clutch member, an arm upon said rock-shaft, a threaded counter-shaft, driving connection IOO' IOS

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between said counter-shaft and one of said sleeves, a traveler upon said counter-shaft, connection between said traveler and said arm, and a spring connected to said arm for quickly moving the same aftersaid spring has been carried past the line of centers; substantially as described.

16. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, driving-sleeves loose thereon and connected to the respective said drums, a clutch member rotatable with said driving-shaft and slidable thereon to engage either of said sleeves, a rock-shaft, a shifter thereon and connected to said clutch member, an arm upon said rockshaft and having limited play thereon, 'a threaded counter-shaft, driving connection between said countershaft and one of said sleeves, a traveler upon said counter-shaft, connection between said traveler and said arm, and a spring connected to said arm for quickly moving the same after said spring has been carried past the line of centers, said traveler operating to carry said arm into such position past said line of centers as said arm is about to reach the limit of its said play; substantially as described.

17. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, driving-sleeves loose thereon and connected to the respective said drums, a clutch member rotatable with said driving-shaft and slidable thereon to engage either of said sleeves, a rock-shaft, a shifter thereon and connected to said clutch member, an arm upon said rockshaft and having limited play thereon, a threaded counter-shaft, driving connection between said counter-shaft and one of said sleeves, a traveler upon said counter-shaft, connection between said traveler and said arm, a spring connected to said arm for quickly moving the same after said spring has been carried past the line of centers, said traveler operating to carry said arm into such position past said line of centers as said arm is about to reach the limit of its said play, and means for locking said rock-shaft until said arm is moved past said line of centers; substantially as described.

1S. In a mechanism of the character indicated, winding-drums, a driving-shaft, drivin g-slee ves loose thereon and connected tothe respective said drums, a clutch member rotatable with said driving-shaft and slidable thereon to engage either of said sleeves, a rock-shaft, a shifter thereon and connected to saidclutch member, an arm upon said rockshaft and having limited play thereon, a threaded counter-shaft, driving connection between said counter-shaft and one of said sleeves, a traveler vupon said counter-shaft, connection between said traveler and said arm, a spring connected to said arm for quickly moving the same after said spring has been carried past the line of centers, said traveler operating to carry said arm into such position past said line of centers as said arm is about to reach the limit of its said play, a second arm upon said rock-shaft, and a spring connected thereto to lock said arm upon either side of the line of centers of said spring, said second-mentioned spring being weakerthan said first-mentioned spring; substantially as described.

19. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a web-carrying device, a shiftable driving member therefor, a shifter connected t0 said driving member, an arm connected to said shifter, a pivotally supported socket member receiving said arm, and a spring connected to said socket member and adapted to throw the same upon either side of the line of centers; substantially as described.

20. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a web-carrying device, a shift-able driving member therefor, a shifter connected to said driving member, an arm connected to said shifter, a pivotally-supported socket member receiving the end of said arm, and a spring connected to said socket member and adapted to throw the same upon either side of the line of centers; substantially as described.

SAMUEL TREPP.

In presence of AUG. REBENACK, ALEXANDER R. RUSSELL. 

